There hasn’t been a post in a while because I have been busy! And it has been the best kind of busy! I’ve had commissions to fulfill!

I absolutely love commissions. Jewelry is about making something meaningful for someone. Something someone wants to wear all day – maybe never even take off! I’ve done many pieces for people and my favorite part is learning what they like, what is important enough to them to commemorate in a piece of jewelry.

This violin was a wedding gift to a woman who is part of a band. I was so excited when she asked her friend who ordered the commission to send me a picture of her next to her new husband and wearing the necklace.

The whole process of designing and making this little violin was also a great experience. It was so much fun to see how delicate I could make the filigree-like design and how well I could engrave the lines for the strings along the neck.

I pretty much enjoyed every moment of it from making the design to hearing that the intended recipient loved it!

Making jewelry on commission is also about fitting a ring to a person’s style. Making something someone really wants to wear is at the heart of all the jewelry I like making most. If I don’t want to wear something I’ve made, then I know I missed something in the process somewhere, maybe got a little lost from what makes up my individual style.

But these simple cabochon rings are all me. I was excited that someone else fell in love with them enough to order a couple for herself!

Commissioned jewelry is the best way to make something truly personal. One young woman asked me to make a necklace with the initials of her and her siblings as a gift for her grandmother. I was happy to oblige!

And then there are the times I get to make something special for someone I’ve grown up with. One of my friends ordered this ring for her sister – another of my friends. The letter G is the initial of both her daugthers’ names.

It is simply amazing how thoughtful people can be both in the gifts they give other and the ones they give themselves. I even decided to make myself a necklace, not for class, but because it means something special to me.

I’ll tell you more about why I made this necklace in a later post. For now I am thankful so many people have trusted me to make jewelry especially for them and those they love. It is amazing to be a part of that story and to make an object that will remind them of so many good memories for years to come.

Published by Sara

Sara Kear is an artist and yoga teacher living in Perrysburg, Ohio along the muddy and beautiful Maumee River. In her art she works with mixed metals in intricate hand cut and fabricated jewelry designs. Images in her work include nature, animals and mythological subjects. She came to yoga to help with her anxiety and depression and believes the movement, meditation and breathing practices aided her in finding both calm and joy in her life. Certified with a RYT-200 from Ashaya Yoga, her classes combine alignment based techniques, breath work and meditation with compassion and humor.
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